Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger is looking to rebuild the Mystics before the 2026 mega free agency period.
The Washington Mystics are looking to rebuild primarily through multiple WNBA Drafts instead of free agency, according to Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
Yesterday, Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger announced that General Manager Mike Thibault and Head Coach Eric Thibault are no longer with the team. But it wasn’t clear what the Mystics’ strategy would be because Winger, quite frankly hasn’t been that visible for the Mystics. He has been much more visible with the Washington Wizards.
However, Philippou’s article mentions a source close to the situation who stated that the Thibault’s didn’t see eye-to-eye with upper management (presumably Winger) on the team’s future direction. Winger also reportedly wants to rebuild the Mystics in a manner not unlike the Wizards, who are in the second year of a multi-year rebuild. The article made it seem like the Mystics also may be looking to rebuild the team with more draft picks sooner rather than later as the league is set to expand to 15 teams in 2026.
While I agree that rebuilding a team through multiple drafts is a good strategy, I don’t see the point in the Mystics blowing it up this offseason. I’ll explain why . And the WNBA is NOT the NBA, especially right now, due to the degree of team expansions in the next two years.
Why do I say that? The Mystics’ five highest-paid players, Ariel Atkins, Brittney Sykes, Stefanie Dolson, and Karlie Samuelson, are all unrestricted free agents in 2026. The Mystics are also unlikely to get much in return in a trade for Sykes or Atkins, especially in the form of first-round picks that COULD be lottery-bound.
AND EVERY WNBA TEAM IS REBUILDING IN 2026 THROUGH FREE AGENCY DUE TO THE NEW COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT EXPECTED TO TAKE EFFECT! The only players under contract for 2026 will be players on rookie scale contracts. They are Aaliyah Edwards, Sika Kone and Jade Melbourne.
It is unlikely that the Mystics will hire a new General Manager or Head Coach before the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery on Nov. 17. So, it appears that Winger will be the team’s de-facto General Manager until those positions are filled.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.